Houston Jones

"One of my new and all-time favorite bands, anywhere. From the Bay Area, they have a pretty traditional
bluegrass instrumentation. Their music is anything but. Twisty little musical change-ups combined with
twisty little lyrical change-ups, atop world-class musicianship and been-there-done-that master-level
industry experience.

These guys are Stone Pros, pushing every boundary possible, and creating something that is wholly unique,
with layers upon layers of subtleties. You can hear bluegrass, delta blues, western, gypsy, swamp, spanish,
rock, jazz, celtic, and God knows what other influences. They are surpassingly good and fun to watch live.

This is the kind of human artistic endeavor that gets you an all-access pass in St. Peter's office. Truly
accessible, intricate, and engaging music. If there were justice in this world, Bill Gates would be their
roadie."

From Randy Kirchhof, Audio Engineer, North American Folk Alliance Conference, Austin, February 2006:


- Randy Kirchhof / North America Folk Alliance

"Houston Jones. You might be thinking, "yet another singer/ songwriter," but, boy, would you be wrong. In reality, it's a high-energy quintet of acoustic musicians from the San Francisco Bay area who play an original blend of folk, blues, bluegrass, and gospel. The name comes from members Glenn "Houston" Pomianek (lead guitar) and Travis Jones (lead vocals, guitar), who are joined by Chris Kee (acoustic bass), Peter Tucker (drums), and Wayne "Chojo" Jacques (fiddle, mandolin). Both Pomianek and Kee were founding members of the Waybacks, and Tucker and Jacques also passed through the ranks of that group.

It's apparent from the opening track, "Bedlam Road," that these guys can play. They incorporate so many different influences and make it seem so easy. The songs are powered along by the high-energy drumming of Tucker and supportive, full-bodied arrangements. Jones' lead vocals are one of the group's strong features, with everyone else chipping in backing vocals.

What separates Houston Jones from similar bands, though, is the high quality of the songwriting, with great hooks, melodies, and compelling lyrics. Kee contributes seven original songs, including the gospel sounding "Jump Up, Little Children" and the touching title track about living in a small town. Other standouts include the Jones/Pomianek country/bluegrass-flavored "There She Goes (I'm Almost Gone)" and the menacing "Behind These Walls," about a man sentenced to die for killing his wife and her lover. The instrumental sets are all outstanding, as well, and include a set of traditional reels ("Daley's Reel"), one original that sounds traditional ("Jig Etude"), and one that really does swing in a classical sort of way ("Toccata in Swing [Hold the Aria]")."

"Very highly recommended!" - CD Review By Jim Lee

From Music Scene, February 2006:
Houston Jones: Three Crow Town
CD Review By Julia Park

"Slip the new CD from Houston Jones into the player and indulge yourself in what they call “High Octane
Americana.” No fooling. Three Crow Town is the name of the disk, and it absolutely lives up to the hype.
From the get-go, this vibrant quartet launches into the American rhythm and swing of “Bedlam Road,”
followed by spot-on country in “There She Goes (I’m Almost Gone)” and the romantic “All I Want is You”
(surely destined to become one of the best wedding songs ever). “Things Unseen” with its refrain
about the Prodigal Son, is a clear-eyed vision of personal faith.

Houston Jones offers a stellar blend of acoustic guitar-driven country-Western paeans to the open plains,
jailhouse blues, gospel-inflected done-me-wrongs, and irresistible Celtic string instrumentals in a pastiche
of sound and emotion. These guys sound like they’ve been playing forever, as a part of the American cultural
landscape, and their original songs are like pages pulled from the folk songbook. It just gets better and better.
Nary a song on the CD is without its merits.

Instrumental cuts like “Daley’s Reel” feel distinctly influenced by Bach’s Brandenburg symphonies, while
“Gypsy Hornpipe and March” is a guitar party; “Jig Etude” is right off the boat from Ireland; you expect to
hear feet clattering on the dance floor, Riverdance-style.And the “Toccata in Swing (Hold the Aria)” carries
allusions to Big Band with the snazzy beat, blended with exquisite fingerwork, and a little bit of Gypsy-style
palmas thrown in. Lyrics that include such word-pictures as “Rode the whiskey train to Bedlam and back again,
callin’ out your name…” – with an infectious bluegrass strum and textured harmonies behind it take the listener
directly into an 1880s railroad camp, or is it a lonely drinking man in his own personal hell, infused with longing
in the here and now? “Dear God, I’m your lightning rod – strike me where I stand…one less soul to save.”
It’s songwriting like this that makes you want to give up your day job and become a veritable Lotus Eater with
an iPod.

This rich diversity of sound comes from the musical heritage of these musicians. The band is comprised of
Chris Kee, bass; Peter Tucker, percussionist; Travis Jones, guitar/vocals; and Glenn “Houston” Pomianek.
Kee, a classically trained cellist with a degree in ethnomusicology, is an original member of The Waybacks; his
influence can be clearly heard in the instrumental numbers. Tucker has worked with a broad range of groups
(from the Monks to The Waybacks), as has Jones, whose vocals provide a sure and steady lead through
several emotional territories. Pomianek is a Bammie Award-winning lead guitarist who is also a co-founder of
The Waybacks and Hearts on Fire. Altogether they form a cohesive, organic group of musicians who play to
each other’s strengths; it’s clear in the performance and the production.

... pick up a copy of their CD via their Web site. This is on my top 10 until further notice."

- Music Scene

"My favorite band!" -
Jackie Loken, KKUP-FM
Santa Clara, CA - KKUP, Jackie Loken DJ

"As good as any singing and picking I've heard in my thirty years in the music business. Do your friends a big favor, and turn them on to this band!"

- BOB BROWN, OWNER / RANCHO NICASIO AND MANAGER / HUEY LEWIS AND THE NEWS


- Bob Brown - Rancho Nicasio

From Billboard.Com July 12, 2007:
Houston Jones: Review by Lesley Beals

I stumbled upon this wonderful gem of a band playing at a summer concert series in, of all places, my local neighborhood park, sponsored by my hometown's Civic Cultural Commission, and tonight we were treated to some truly EXCEPTIONAL music. After a couple of songs I said "Whoa!" ... realizing this was a group I should write a review on. Houston Jones' music was very enjoyable and consisted of some covers, but mostly wonderful original tunes written by band members -- "high octane Americana" was very descriptive of their music.

Travis Jones, with the great voice, [and] very talented musicians... I was so impressed with their music ...these guys weren't just "some local band." Some of their songs had the crowd up and dancing, some brought tears to our eyes. All of their music had the audience tapping our toes (and had me on the cell phone to my boyfriend saying, "You should have come with me!! You would LOVE this!!")

Thank you, Redwood City Civic Cultural Commission and "Houston Jones" for such a quality concert and such a wonderful evening!

Check out Houston Jones' schedule, and go see them if they're going to be playing anywhere near you. And if they're not, order one of their CDs. These guys are a rare treat!!" - Billboard.com

"Always a favorite here...this killer acoustic music act has unique interpretations of grassroots Americana that will leave you breathless and thoroughly rocked.”

- "WEST COAST LIVE", KALW-FM, NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO
- West Coast Live

"Always a favorite here...this killer acoustic music act has unique interpretations of grassroots Americana that will leave you breathless and thoroughly rocked.”

- "WEST COAST LIVE", KALW-FM, NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO
- West Coast Live

"After burning up the Freight stage at their CD release party last September, Houston Jones returns for more! Audience members are advised to bring along personal fire extinguishers as this quartet of musical veterans ignites the evening with their sizzling, eclectic mixture of originals and original interpretations of grassroots Americana music (in their book, that includes everything from Nanci Griffith to Al Green to Jimi Hendrix). Born at (the) Strawberry Music Festival,... Houston Jones features the dazzling mile-a-minute flatpicking of former Waybacks and Hearts on Fire guitarist Glenn Houston and the honky tonk vocals and guitar of Louisiana-born Travis Jones. Add to the equation Robert Trevorrow (formerly of Hearts on Fire) on bass and vocals and Peter Tucker (formerly of the Waybacks) on percussion, and you have a foursome that can comfortably embrace musical styles from bluegrass, country, folk, and gospel to blues, rock, and jazz, and not even break a sweat--unlike their audience."

- FREIGHT AND SALVAGE, BERKELEY
- Freight and Salvage

"Three Crow Town is one of our favorite new CDs of 2005"
- KFOG-FM San Francisco - KFOG San Francisco CA.

"After burning up the Freight stage at their CD release party last September, Houston Jones returns for more! Audience members are advised to bring along personal fire extinguishers as this quartet of musical veterans ignites the evening with their sizzling, eclectic mixture of originals and original interpretations of grassroots Americana music (in their book, that includes everything from Nanci Griffith to Al Green to Jimi Hendrix). Born at (the) Strawberry Music Festival,... Houston Jones features the dazzling mile-a-minute flatpicking of former Waybacks and Hearts on Fire guitarist Glenn Houston and the honky tonk vocals and guitar of Louisiana-born Travis Jones. Add to the equation Robert Trevorrow (formerly of Hearts on Fire) on bass and vocals and Peter Tucker (formerly of the Waybacks) on percussion, and you have a foursome that can comfortably embrace musical styles from bluegrass, country, folk, and gospel to blues, rock, and jazz, and not even break a sweat--unlike their audience."

- FREIGHT AND SALVAGE, BERKELEY
- Freight and Salvage